T&T looks to explode in Super50

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Trinidad and Tobago plan to use the momentum from their recent Champions League Twenty20 campaign to leave their mark on the Regional Super50 which starts in Guyana today.

The Daren Ganga-led side departed here yesterday morning for the tournament where they will line up alongside powerhouses Jamaica, joint defending champions Leeward Islands and Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) in Group B.

"We have shown that we can compete at the international level, and now returning to a regional competition, we will be expected to dominate," team manager Omar Khan said.

"The boys can handle the pressure of expectation because they have shown in the past that they are capable of coming through under pressure.

"We showed in India that this is a team of substance and we are looking to go out there and win this regional 50-overs tournament."

Strong side

Trinidad and Tobago's side will be even stronger than the one which turned out at the CLT20 in India, as they welcome back key senior players.

All-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, both of whom represented their Indian Premier League franchises in the CLT20, are set to return, while the in-form Lendl Simmons will also join the side following the conclusion of the West Indies one-day series against Bangladesh.

"We are welcoming back to our team Dwayne Bravo, who did not play for us in India," said Khan.

"He is a tremendous team player and one capable of lifting his fellow players. We are really looking forward to having him around, and this would help with so many young players in the team.

"The team will be further strengthened by the return of all-rounder Keiron Pollard and the in-form Lendl Simmons, when the limited-overs aspect of the West Indies tour of Bangladesh ends."

However, T&T will have to do without the key services of stylish stroke-maker Darren Bravo, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and pacer Ravi Rampaul, who will be engaged in the upcoming two-Test series against the Bangladeshis.

T&T open their campaign against CCC tomorrow.